#this one's for @theconsultingtranslator

[todayintokyo]

Hydrangeas in Tamagawadai Park, Denenchofu, Tokyo

[thepersianslipper]

The Game is Now

1 - General Information

The who, the what, the why, the when, the where?

A. The who

Sherlock - The Game Is Now is an escape room designed by Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat and Time Run (responsible for a series of renowned Escape Rooms in London).

B. The what

The official site describes The Game Is Now as:

“The Official Sherlock Live Experience is a 100 minute immersive escape game for teams of 4-6 people.”

But then, if you scroll a bit further down, you get:

“Located in a secret venue in the heart of London, this 90-minute cinematic adventure combines the unique world of Sherlock with the very best of escape games.”

If you look at the article published online by the Evening Standard on 28/11/2018, you will read:

“Each team of four to six people goes to three “rooms” during the 60-minute game, solving mysteries to progress to the next stage. The nature of the “plot” is a secret, but one representative hinted that players will be more concerned with “saving themselves”, rather than other people. Teams get a 10-minute debrief at the end before moving on to an Arthur Conan Doyle bar for refreshments.” (...)“Tickets start at £54 a person, with the total experience taking 110 minutes.”

So, however long the Escape Room actually is, we can count on a “cinematic experience”, that will include original video and audio sequences from the cast of the show. There will also be live actors which I assume will give us our briefing and debriefing.

The actual plot is still a mystery, but the official site gives us a tease in form of a small introduction:

“London needs Sherlock. Instead it has you. Sherlock is absent. As a rash of break-ins ripple across the capital, one thing is clear: his brilliance is required. Mycroft Holmes has put out the call. The Network seeks recruits: volunteers with sharp eyes, keen wits and a hunger for adventure. Can you step into the shoes of the legendary detective? Good luck: The Game Is Now.”

And two actual videos, one where Mycroft himself makes “an appeal” for us to join The Network and another where Sherlock calls out The Network members to “put everything aside” and help him on “the greatest crisis” of his career. (but wasn’t he supposed to be missing?)

Something is fishy. We’ll discuss the videos on a later post.

C. The why

Here is another important question we still can’t answer for sure.

For shits and giggles? like @marcelock hypothesized

For the money?

To actually move the plot forward?

To set a trap and incarcerate all Johnlockers and TJCLers in the basement to keep Arwel company? as @thejohnlockoutlet warned us

Some people have posted several theories. Even Mark Gatiss had something to say in the interview aired by BBC London News on 28/11/2018, uploaded by @theconsultingtranslator and transcribed by @garkgatiss:

MG: Wait, wait, that is Series Five! [more laughter] It’s very meta. The entire cast and crew are trapped inside their own escape room, for three 90-minute episodes—

I have my own theory, which I will share when we look at the videos.

D. The when

This is a topic that has sparked some confusion. The Escape Room was originally set to open on the 23rd of October, but then was pushed to early December, as we can see in the trailers that came out so far. I haven’t found any information about the actual day, though.

The same Evening Standard article I mentioned says that December will be the “soft-lauch” and that tickets are already sold-out for that month. For those who don’t know (and I didn’t, either), a “soft-lauch” is a release of a product to a limited public before being available to the general public. During that time, the production team will gather feedback and make adjustments before doing the “hard-launch” (i.e. release it to the general public). I imagine they have made the tickets available for a smaller amount of people so they can practice and make sure everything is running smoothly before opening to the bigger public in January.

Tickets are still available from January until May. We still don’t know if there is going to be new dates after that.

I’ve been poking around the official site and the not-very-user-friendly ticket calendar. It shows that indeed December is fully booked. The the calendar will show you all the possible (free and booked) slots for every day, even those in November when we knew the Escape Room was still closed. What caught my eye is that there are a few closed days, like the 25th and 31st of December (for obvious reasons) but also the 3rd of December. Could that be the opening day? I would imagine they would want to throw a party or do a press release or something.

D. The where

The location of the room was secret for a long time, but it has been made public since 28/11/2018 when the official tweeter feed twitted:

The official site now also has the more detailed information:

In sum, the Escape Room entrance will be found in West 12 Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush in the guise of Doyle’s Opticians.

So, this is what I gathered from my “research”. Please feel free to comment and add any info you think is relevant.

Back to the Masterpost

Part 2 - Sneak Peeks - Before 28/11/2018

Part 2 - Sneek Peeks - After 28/11/2018. Doyle’s Opticians

@sherlockedcarmilla @fellshish @thejohnlockoutlet @todaywearesoldiers @88thparallel @elldotsee @sarahthecoat @why-cant-people-just-think @shadowvim

EDIT: corrected the OP of the BBC clip, thank you @waitedforgarridebs and @mollydobby for the heads up!

[shoku-and-awe]

@mafaldinablabla @theconsultingtranslator thank you! This is very interesting and here are my main thoughts:

1. I also did not think this felt like a ragù/bolognese/meat sauce! And if I were to make a vegetarian one, I would not choose zucchini.

2. I only knew sofrito/soffrito as a base aromatic mix for some Central American cooking (various combos of onions, cilantro, chili, garlic, etc.) and didn't realize it was more like a cooking technique. Which makes sense, actually.

3. Another thing I didn't realize: carrots in meat sauce in Italy! My mom uses them (and sometimes other hard veggies, but rarely celery), but I always figured it was more to trick veggies into the kids.

4. I first would've learned the word ragù from a major brand of jarred pasta sauces (and I think this would be most Americans primary association). And I've just learned that the brand is owned by a Japanese company. Huh!

5. I actually have another food question for Italians..... hold on a second. And congrats on your football, btw!

I was really intrigued by the whole idea of the Meghan Markel zucchni bolognese thingy, so I tried it! While it didn’t come out bolognese-y, it was really, really tasty. And inexplicably buttery. It’s also good cold and it seems like it’d make great leftovers, but we totally demolished it.

Mostly caramelize an onion in olive oil, then add two giant zucchinis (sliced), chili flake, powdered stock, and a splash of white wine. Cook on low for hours and hours, stirring occasionally. Toward the end, add half-cooked pasta, a couple scoops of pasta water, and lemon juice. When done, serve with grana padano.

I recommend a short pasta, but for spaghetti or capellini, just make this instead, because it’s just as good but less time and more lemon/butter.

[coffee-and-vroomvroom]

Thanks to the lovely @theianitor for the tag... sorry it took me a while haha this was looooong (was it revenge for the angsty fic ideas?)

rules: answer these 85 statements and tag 20 people

the last 1/ drink/ red wine

2/ phonecall/ a friend

3/ text message/ another friend

4/ song you listened to/ The XX - On Hold

5/ last time you cried/ earlier this morning (I got emotional over Robin Williams birthday).

6/ dated someone twice/ never. 

7/ kissed someone and regretted it/ late 2009.

8/ been cheated on/ I never found out if it happened.

9/ lost someone special/ november 2015, the one guy I considered like a brother died.

10/ been depressed/ I’ve been depressed since I hit puberty, hon. There’s no last, it’s ongoing.

11/ gotten drunk and thrown up/ never... get drunk yes, thrown up, no.

3 favourite colours 12/ green 13/ blue 14/ purple

in the last year have you 15/ made new friends/ Yes.

16/ fallen out of love/ no.

17/ laughed until you cried/ yes. 

18/ found out someone was talking about you/ no.

19/ met someone who changed you/ yes. But then again, everyone you meet leaves footprints in your life... you are never the same person you were before meeting them ;)

20/ found out who your friends are/ yes, I’m right in the middle of asessing that.

21/ kissed someone on your facebook list/ no.

general 22/ how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life/ around 80% 

23/ do you have any pets/ no :(

24/ do you want to change your name/ No. I didn’t like it when I was a child, but I cannot imagine being called other than Eva now... 

25/ what did you do for your last birthday/ Not much... it was a Monday, so I had to go to school to get the mark for one of the assignments for my translator’s course (which I failed, yay, happy birthday to me ¬¬). At least I got to have lunch for a bit with my friend Mariana... all in all a quite forgettable birthday if I compare it with 2015 that was so fucking amazing.

26/ what time did you wake up/ 6:32am FML

27/ what were you doing at midnight last night/ I was watching videos on youtube

28/ name something you can’t wait for/ I don’t have much to look forward to right now... nothing comes to mind. Not even my birthday.

29/ when was the last time you saw your mum/ 10 minutes ago

31/ what are you listening to right now/ A documentary about serial killings in Australia xD Don’t ask.

32/ have you ever talked to a person named tom/ yes.

33/ something that is getting on your nerves/ people, always.

34/ most visited website/ tumblr.

35/ hair colour/ blackish.

36/ long or short hair/ long.

37/ do you have a crush on someone/ I’ve been crushing on the same impossible guy for the last (OMG) THREE YEARS??! O_o

38/ what do you like about yourself/ my hands.

39/ piercings/ ears.

40/ blood type/ O+

41/ nickname/ Eves. 

42/ relationship status/ Married to my city.

43/ zodiac/ Virgo

44/ pronouns/ she/her

45/ favourite tv show/ I don’t really watch tv but for football or motorsports. 

46/ tattoos/ None (I’m too afraid of blood and needles)

47/ right or left handed/ Right.

48/ surgery/ yes.

49/ sport/ football, formula 1, formula e, a bit of WEC, a bit of DTM.

50/ vacation/ what is that?

51/ pair of trainers/ Adidas Gazelle in purple :)

more general 53/ eating/ pasta.

54/ drinking/ coffee.

55/ i’m about to/ write down some fic ideas.

56/ waiting for/ Monday to meet my friend Ana. We haven’t seen each other since March.

57/ want/ to fix everything I have fucked up in my life.

58/ get married/ No. I’m not really interested in having a relationship at all.

59/ career/ Translator.

which is better 60/ hugs or kisses/ I kiss and hug my friends whenever I see them and when we part ways (Giving a kiss in the cheek is something common in my country, it’s not that I’m french kissing strangers all around!)

61/ lips or eyes/ Eyes.

62/ shorter or taller/ Taller (I’m 1,60, so the bar is set pretty low xD)

63/ older or younger/ irrelevant.

64/ nice arms or nice stomach/ nice arms (to hug it better ;) ) 

65/ hookup or relationship/ Relationship

66/ troublemaker or hesitant/ depending on the circumstances, I can be both.

have you ever 67/ kissed a stranger/ yes.

68/ drank hard liquor/ yes.

69/ lost glasses/contact lenses/ no.

70/ turned someone down/ yes.

71/ sex on the first date/ yes (sex on the first and only date, more like xD)

73/ had your heart broken/ yes.

74/ been arrested/ no.

75/ cried when someone died/ yes.

76/ fallen for a friend/ yes.

do you believe in 77/ yourself/ not always.

78/ miracles/ No.

79/ love at first sight/ I believe in attraction at first sight, love? no, that only comes when you get to know the person.

80/ santa claus/ please ¬¬

81/ kiss on the first date/ If that’s what your heart wants, then yes. Who says there’s a schedule to be followed in regards to when to kiss someone you really want to kiss?

82/ angels/ No. 

other 84/ eye colour/ brown.

85/ favourite movie/ Matrix

Thanks! :D

Ok, now some tags (feel free to ignore if you guys are busy or don’t want to!)

@fisidrosa @little-berenice @edelfan @writing-soldiers @edbighead @queensoybean @missliverpoolfc @moon-for-start @riddlemetitillatedhiddles @theconsultingtranslator @shadowofthedayf1 @sighsandwishes and anyone who wants to do it.

[mollydobby]

“Akako” Tattoo ... or is it the Iron Lady (aka Thatcher)? Why?

In The Six Thatchers (S04E01), Sherlock tells a client, “You’ve got a Japanese tattoo in the crook of your elbow in the name of Akako.”

The trouble is … Akako just isn’t what the screen footage is showing us - as @scandalsinpink​ pointed out here (x), it should be 赤子 … but there are three Japanese characters on the tattoo (which is of a fish, same as in ACD canon for Jabez Wilson in the Red-Headed League.) 

 I squinted at the screencap with @theconsultingtranslator and @waitingforgarridebs, and came up with … Iron Woman. 

Iron Woman - which is simplified wording for THE IRON LADY - THATCHER … which is  a honorific nickname given to Thatcher by the Chinese. (Not so common in Japanese?)   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

However, some liberties appeared to have been taken so that the characters can be seen quickly on camera. 

“Club Foot” in The Abominable Bride (S04E00) had a similarly bewildering lost-in-translation situation … “horse-hoof in-turned foot” - a rather literal translation of the medical condition, instead of using the actual word to denote a social club.   

But no matter. This time in TST, it seems to be more than mere lost-in-translation. 

Since the client did not protest about having an ex-girlfriend named Akako (literally “the red one”) … one almost has to conclude that Sherlock may have hallucinated the “Iron Woman / Thatcher” writing. 

[Given his obsession with the Thatcher shrine at the Welsboroughs, it may not be that far off the mark.] 

Which … makes the “alternate” Mr Blue Skull painting visible during the tattoo deduction rather disturbing. 

@thepineapplering @artfulkindoforder @jenna221b @inevitably-johnlocked @twocandles @ebaeschnbliah @isitandwonder @just-sort-of-happened @bug-catcher-in-viridian-forest

[todayintokyo]

This one’s for tea lovers @iwillbemother and @theconsultingtranslator. :)

[evetidefeminist]

Multifandom-madnesss Meta

Meta Masterpost - The Abominable Bride

EDIT August 2016: I have no idea HOW this happened, but from one day to the next all links were GONE. Both on this page and within the draft I had saved as backup :( I am SO sorry, folks.

Masterpost Reconstruction WILL happen, I promise. I’m producting a short film (based on Bondlock fanfic) atm, and all free fandom time goes to the Meta Library, so it will take a while.

I still have some links that might help you. Please refer to this post.

Timestamp: 04 March

[recap #1 as post] [recap #2 as post] [recap #3 - Mind Palace vs Reality]

[Arianedevere’s transcript]

[complete tarmac scene, by superoreoman]

With so many great thoughts and theories flying about in the wake of The Abominable Bride, I’ve started collecting them and thought establishing a sort of masterpost might be a good idea. To ensure this is as extensive as possible, it would be rad if people tag/mention me in posts or reblogs or message me so I can include further links.

This will be organised somewhat chronologically and by theory.  I’ll do my best to update this continuously.

This will include all theories I come across, regardless of whether or not I agree with them. Some bias might find its way into this masterpost when it comes to the sequence of naming posts; sorry in advance!

[a list of open questions]

NOTE: These metas are all pretty much pro-TJLC. If you are unfamiliar with the Johnlock Conspiracy, I have written an introduction which you can find on AO3.

NOTE: I have kept the original LSiT links. If anyone can offer links to reblogs that show the content, that would be great!

*

On the Victorian Era, gothic lit, ACD canon, and Oscar Wilde

Mark Gatiss is in fact an expert on Victorian gothic literature which is ripe with queer subtext and storylines. Many themes found in TAB have a long tradition in gothic literature and social practices of the time shaped social interactions. All is highly relevant to understanding TAB.

“There never was any monster” quote from HoB connects perfectly to this meta,  the-heart-of-a-detective, heimishtheidealhusband

plus: An experimental application of homospectrality, by sherlockslayerofdragons

Mark’s “it has every gothic element” in the making of, anon to heimishtheidealhusband

plus more on November 1895 and the Wilde trials, by sherloki1854

Wilde, the Old Bailey and The Reichenbach Fall, by johnlocktentacles

pre-TAB post about the year’s significance, by wsswatson, cupidford, aura218

ACD’s Sherlock Holmes and Victorian Homosexuality, by weeesi [aka, it’s very, very queer]

More on history

The Chinese character used did not appear until the 1950s, by moremus

*

So far on ‘Sherlock’

and their comments on replies

Timeline questions

Especially concerning the phone call from Mycroft to Sherlock - did the Victorian mind palace sequence begin after, or before? For more detailed exemplification, see Part 1 of Tab meta recap #3.

How does the call from HLV fit into TAB, by socalledclaire

Was the call between Victorian first meeting and Lestrade arriving at 221B, by cupidford

The Victorian events of TAB were shown out of order, by the-7-percent-solution, mylastvow

*

The Victorian Diogenes Club

This has so many levels and already produced some lengthy analyses.

Thank you, Wilder - a look at the Victorian Diogenes Club, by heimishtheidealhusband

Sherlock imagined dancing with John in his mind palace, by bigassmoustache

A note on “elope” and why Jim’s suggestion was “offensive”, by welovethebeekeeper

Thoughts on Sherlock and Mycroft’s relationship, by the-diogenes

Sign language

Absolute silence - Why John is so bad at sign language (John will speak up when he doesn’t understand a secret code), by the-virus-in-the-data, multifandom-madnesss

Sherlock used BSL for “we are together”, by beautyandtheconsultingdetective, edit by sherlockspeare

John’s failure to understand BSL = failure to understand non-verbal communication, by peopleusuallysaypissoff, cartopathy

Dancing lessons = preparing John for his marriage to Mary, by cartopathy, miadifferent

Sign language and TAB, by trasn

On facial expressions and sign language, by uss-sherlolly, o0katiekins0o

The three plum puddings

Melas backwards = Salem

Mycroft, and his health

Everyone has been really, really worried about Mycroft’s health issues. For one, placing wagers on his survival, gambling with his life, is seen as foreshadowing Mycroft’s death - to protect his brother - but others have extended this and referred it to Sherlock’s use of cocaine. Heimishtheidealhusband points to a possible figurative death of Mycroft as Sherlock’s care giver/protector. The “Food = sex” metaphor is important here.

It’s not about Mycroft, it’s Sherlock telling himself that he will die if he keeps up current habits, by urbanhymnal, irrevocably-johnlocked

“Vernet” might be a Mycroft health issue, by waitingforgarridebs, wellthengameover

Thank you, Wilder - a look at the Victorian Diogenes Club, by heimishtheidealhusband

Mycroft in TAB and Sherlock’s viewpoint, by girlofthemirrorjohnlock

An explanation for Mycroft’s mind palace obesity, by just-sort-of-happened

2 years 11 months 3 days ties into 57 stars + 1 John, by bug-catcher-in-viridian-forrest

57 stars + 1 solution = obliquity of the ecliptic, by bug-catcher-in-viridian-forrest (TAB part comes later in the text)

*

John, and his drinking

edit on this, by incurablylazydevil

The maid

The maid = John’s bisexuality/Harry

The maid has been interpreted as John’s bisexuality since he never mentions it but it is ever-present. The maid might also turn out to be Harry, whose presence in the show outside of Sherlock’s mind palace might be used to assert John’s bisexuality in s4. Additionally, as librarylock suggests among other things, the maid might be Sherlock indirectly questioning John on his sexuality like John does in the summerhouse.

plus addition by thememacat

another one by librarylock

one more by multifandom-madnesss

The maid = Sherlock

Another recent theory shows how the maid functions as a mirror for Sherlock, indicated by the scene with John Where Is My Wife Watson as well as Sherlock’s grin in the crypt.

All the world is the Bride, aka Emilia Ricoletti is a mirror for Sherlock, too, by narcissus-garden

The maid = Sherlock who knows about the state of John’s marriage, by may-shepard, just-sort-of-happened

*

TJLC is so #confirmed

We were drowned in subtext and I’m sure there will be a lot more to add to this list in the future. Some aspects can be found in other categories.

referencing Sherlock’s disguise by stephisanerd, mild-lunacy (pre-TAB)

‘Feature of Interest’, ‘people’, and other quotes

edit on this by rominatrix

wsswatson’s reply to anon

Ricoletti’s “You” vs “Not you” in TsoT, by wsswatson

also in Thoughts on TAB, by mulifandom-madnesss

The obliquity of the ecliptic (OotE)

screenshots of the letters in TAB, by jupitereyed

Collection of red letters in S3 credit sequences, by drellaholmes

Heimish and ‘The Ideal Man’

Heimish/Hamish is so important, by heimishtheidealhusband

The newspaper/play explained, by heimishtheidealhusband

John as the ideal man - newspaper snipped screenshot, by heimishtheidealhusband

Heimish is the ideal man, by metravel

Heimishtheidealhusband explains to nonny why they felt ever more secure about tjlc after TAB

More:

additions: Vanity portrait, by oldgrimalkin

Reinforcing Moriarty being a dark mirror for Sherlock, by michi-no-aoi-neko

Plane mirror as mere prop, by adlerforpresident

Ghost was a reflection too, by poetry-or-truth

which led to a rather passionate thread [warning for wank]

The Sherlock/John/Mary triangle

callback: The show’s negative portrayal of heterosexual couples, by LSiT, Dec 2015 [alternative link?]

The summerhouse

The summerhouse scene confirms Johnlock, by helloitslbo

On Vienese alienists and Oscar Wilde, by emilociraptor

Sherlock “must have a past” and TPLoSH, by wsswatson, theadorableredarrow

Sherlock was crying in the summerhouse, by johnthreecontinents

The repression of Sherlock Holmes (character study of Sherlock as virgin), by theconsultingtranslator

Moriarty’s visit

Moriarty comes to Baker Street in TAB: TGG Revisited, by just-sort-of-happened

Pistol = penis, and fellatio, by redscudery

MP!Jim aka Sherlock’s gay thoughts, by threefootroo

Camera tilt on Moriarty and the gun is similar to adult films, by skulls-and-tea with gif by captainsjm

The Vanity painting as a reference to women/The Woman; the Twin theory, and mirrors in the show, by captainbadasswatson

What the “6 times” means, by agenttanha, hudders-and-hiddles (referring to Sherlock’s sexual impulses, or six agents, or ??)

Watson = the writer = the heart, Sherlock = the illustrator = the mind, by deducingbbcsherlock, withthekeyisking

The Elephant in the room

plus The resurrected elephant, by multifandom-madnesss, weeesi

The league of women

addition, by mathildalocks

*

Victorian sequences (non-TJLC-centric)

Mrs Hudson as foil to Sherlock, his lack of agency, and his potential to enact meaningful change in his life, by just-sort-of-happened

Eustace/Useless - Sherlock thinks John is calling him useless, by sherlockedapussy, inevitably-johnlocked

What exactly is the point of you - Anderson in TAB, by the-virus-in-the-data

On the origin of the names Eustace, Louisa, and Emilia and their respective mirrors outside Sherlock’s mind palace, by mahons-ondine

*

On the plane - the first awakening

plus another thread by ilovebennystuff

plus Sherlock in Victorian solitary, by theladylavender

mp!Moriarty as Sherlock’s worst enemy, by the-virus-in-the-data

Second awakening and Graveyard Scene

or as Sherlock digging up his past addiction, by ourfreedomhearts

corresponding edit, by johnandsherlocks

“Cherchez le chien” in HoB, by finalproblem

Reichenbach Redux

additions of what the graveyard scene means

“Impertinent!” - “Offensive!”

more Vastra-Sherlock parallels, by londoncallingsigh, mollydobby

Final awakening, and Tarmac revisited

or as supplier of drugs, addition by multifandom-madnesss

Mycroft’s notes

What is on the list, hudders-and-hiddles in response to anon

plus addition, by toxicsemicolon

Redbeard

Redbeard as The Other One

Based on wellthengameover’s extensive analysis of Redbeard as a person.

addition: Redbeard = codename for the other one after the mission during which he died, by multufandom-madnesss

and: Redbeard and The Dynamics of Combustion, by waiting-for-garridebs

More:

The other one as a sister, addition by multifandom-madness

Sherlock’s addiction

with further quotes from ACD, by mollydobby

with addition, by multifandom-madnesss

addition, by mild-lunacy

Sherlock was clean-ish when he left John at the Tarmac, additions by waitingforgarridebs, mollydobby, redbeard-moriartypet

extensive addition, by mild-lunacy

addition, by darthkawaii42

and another one, by miadifferent, may-shepard, welovethebeekeeper

Mediated and medicated (was Sherlock high on the tarmac?), by Ivy Blossom

Who gave him the drugs, and when did he take them?

What if Mary gave Sherlock the drugs?, by librarylock, hudders-and-hiddles, monikakrasnorada, daughter-of-a-dalek, agentwood

Sherlock did not take all drugs on the plane and did not want to OD to solve a case, by heimishtheidealhusband

*

MIND PALACE - what was real, what not?

One viewing of TAB will not be enough to get to the bottom of this… There are multiple theories, but some consensus, too. Most of these posts regard ALL layers; I’ve just matched them up to which ‘school of thought’ they belong to regarding the first plane scene.

with addition regarding John’s characterisation, by mild-lunacy (first plane scene as reality)

a) First plane scene

… as reality.

plus: Mind palace spillover on the plane, addition by multifandom-madnesss (aka first plane scene as both)

… as another mind palace sequence.

plus addition, by ilonasaurus

and another one, by hectocotylus1

potentially fuzzy edges during the sequence?, by bendersnatchmycummerbund

and a different thread with both pro and con arguments, by cakepopsforeveryone, enjoythelephant,  trainedcormorant

… as both.

anotherwellkeptsecret echoes this here [was posted a day earlier, sorry I only included it now]

Differentiating between real/mp via the phone Mary uses, by hudders-and-hiddles

Or:

All three modern scenes are still in the mind palace, by anaisninja

b) Graveyard = mind palace

This seems to be something most people agree on. Though I think I saw some argue that this was part real/part dream? (grateful for any links, send them my way)

The Graveyard Domestic, by heimishtheidealhusband (aka wherein they show that the Graveyard scene functioned as a way for Sherlock to play through him choosing ‘work’ over ���John’, showing it would fail)

c) Last plane scene = real

Appears to be the consensus, though if I missed some posts on why it was mind palace as well, please let me know!

More posts on the mind palace debate:

What Sherlock knows in his MP, by welovethebeekeeper

The ambiguity of Sherlock, by marysdaydream

What does Sherlock actually say?, by jenna221b, williamanyascottholmes, hudders-and-hiddles (reg. the possibility of Sherlock saying some mind palace lines out loud)

The second modern scene was Sherlock’s worst fears, by captainsjms, williamanyascottholmes, cakepopsforeveryone

The promo picture told us it would take place inside Sherlock, by rox712, edit by chocolamouse

Has Sherlock been in a coma since TRF?, heimishtheidealhusband responds to anon ask

Sherlock’s twitch upon hearing ‘Serbian’ as the first modern crack in his mind palace, by painlock, jenna221b

INCEPTION-themed:

Five minutes in Inception are an hour in dream time, and more Inception references, by anon, cupidford

*

The importance of Clothes

Expansion to include the Conductor of Light shirt plus the checkered shirt from the first time they met, by consultingpals, hudders-and-hiddles, dmellion

and hudders-and-hiddles’ addition re: shirt colour

Tie Hell =)

Menswear is important, and who decides on mycroft’s costumes, by stellamira1936

addition: Tie as a distraction, by longsnowsmoon5

Tie edit (HLV, ASIP), by beejohnlocked, including discussion on who buys the ties and headcanons [warning for feels]

Potential connection to “alarming shade of pink”, by longsnowsmoon5

addition with pro/con points, by multifandom-madnesss

Tie Hell, day 2 - update with screencaps of Mycroft’s HLV and TAB ties (Mark’s reply on Twitter pending)

Tie Hell has reached Squidcroft

Mycoft’s Ties in TAB

Mycroft’s Ties in Series 1, and Series 2, by nessanarmolanya Mycroft’s Ties in Series 2, by multifandom-madnesss

Mycroft’s Ties in Series 3: TEH, TSoT, HLV by little-hobbit-derptective

*

MORIARTY

… is not dead

Despite Sherlock’s insistence that he is, some argue that Moriarty really is back. Ties into LSiT’s M-theory.

plus addition, by multifandom-madnesss

Janine and Jim as the Abominable Bride, edit by iamakramed

Janine’s surname in the TAB credits, by consultingpals and Janine’s last name changed in the credits - why?, by LSiT, artfulkindoforder, kastrelhil, closetofheroes

Does John believe Sherlock? and what about Sherlock’s glance at John?, by adlerforpresident, multifandom-madnesss

Mary was listening so Sherlock can’t speak freely, by the-virus-in-the-data

It was a silent ‘Vatican Cameo’ because Mary was still listening, by the-virus-in-the-data, monikakrasnorada, ilovebennystuff

It was a silent ‘Vatican Cameo’ or Sherlock was saving face, by the-virus-in-the-data, monikakrasnorada, badwolf83

Sherlock taking the drugs to solve the Moriarty case doesn’t make sense, by theankeeanglophilac

… is dead: his legacy and Bride parallels

Alternatively: Moriarty really IS dead. Mary is regarded as first contender as Jim’s successor, though Janine (and Mycroft, and Molly) come into play as well. Or maybe it was Mary all along and Jim was, in fact, an actor?  [Many posts refer to several of these aspects but I had to restructure it somehow.]

Brides

Mary in black, vs Brides in white, by oldgrimalkin

Twin Theory  

This ‘school of thought’ does not require there to be actual twins - it might be siblings, or metaphorical twins.

addition: But what about the WHY, multifandom-madnesss

The twin theory, edit by benlocked

Side note: Redbeard Twin Theory

… yes, that is a thing!

The other one as a sister, addition by multifandom-madness

Mary as villain / The Mary Problem

The date in Mycroft’s notebook = canon reference (Valley of Fear, Birdie Edwards), by finalproblem

background reading: Finalproblem’s birdie edwards tag

with addition re: Eustace as Mary mirror, by multifandom-madnesss

Amanda’s tweet re: Mary as a sniper at the pool in TGG, by johnlockiseternal

Who is the new Moriarty

Mary as new Moriarty, Janine, twins and triplets, by johnwatso, multifandom-madness, enjoythelephant

Mary = Moriarty is supported by the editing, by deepspacemonster

Mary as the new Moriarty and Hooper’s misgendering, by johnwatso, foxmittens

M and who is league with Moriarty, by futureforthemasses, johnlocked4life, consultingpals

Making sense of the abominable bride (The new Moriarty: Mary, Mycroft, the Maid, Janine, Molly / Two Moriartys / Garridebs Parallel), by watsonbeekeepers

Sherlock said “she” about the envelope in TGG, anon to painlock

More:

Moriarty as facade hiding the unregonised women, and addition, by corbeaunoir

Many things released ahead of TAB didn’t make it into the episode - Sherlock has convinced himself Moriarty is dead, by LSiT

On the origin of the names Eustace, Louisa, and Emilia and their respective mirrors outside Sherlock’s mind palace, by mahons-ondine

*

Molly Hooper

Because she deserves her own section.

Molly in the mind palace, John’s as the Victorian era Vitruvian man, by ivyblossom, mild-lunacy

Molly in TAB doesn’t make sense, by waitingforgarridebs (Moriarty will make it seem like Molly helped him fake his death like she did Sherlock’s)

Molly and Sherlock will meet somewhere in the middle in s4, by consulting-pathologist

Hooper was angry because Sherlock knows Molly will be when she finds out about his overdose, by lovesherlolly

On Molly being a man, by wsswatson in reply to an ask

Making sense of the abominable bride (Molly as new Moriarty), by watsonbeekeepers

Irene Adler in TAB

Why was she there? People have, of course, come up with answers:

Irene’s picture as a quote from TPLoSH, and how this proves Sherlock’s feelings for John, by ramblings-from-yours-truly

The repression of Sherlock Holmes (character study of Sherlock as virgin), by theconsultingtranslator

*

Feminism and the Special

Since much public discourse has centred on TAB being anti-feminist, several bloggers have argued that this is not actually the case.

Feminism and The Abominable Bride, by adlerforpresident

A love of the dramatic - Sherlock as storyteller, by urbanhymnal

Canon, women, queerness and The Abominable Bride, by wsswatson

Feminism and Sherlock’s ‘Killer Suffragists’, by deducingbbcsherlock

Other details

with addendum by theleftpill regarding Irene returning Sherlock’s coat not being a dream

Janine’s surname in the TAB credits, by consultingpals

plus edit

more parallels, by the-virus-in-the-data

Cinematography / Set design

additions: Vanity portrait, by oldgrimalkin

Reinforcing Moriarty being a dark mirror for Sherlock, by michi-no-aoi-neko

Plane mirror as mere prop, by adlerforpresident

Ghost was a reflection too, by poetry-or-truth

CRACK!theories =)

Because it wouldn’t be Hiatus without them, now, would it?

more versions: here, here, here

*

Setlock and behind the scenes

Behind the scenes pictures, brand new bts pictures, including Hooper-the-bride, more bts pictures, by nixxie-fic

Arwel tweeted about new pictures on his website, by rox712

Picture of first day of filming, by moffia

Pictures of the 221B set, more set pictures by nixxie-fic

Rupert and Lou behind the scenes, by n1a1u, and by nixxie-fic

in case the tweet is deleted, this post contains a screenshot

Martin plays three versions of himself, Ben needed to be told what would happen in S4 to get it, by joolaweed, gloriascott93, 1895itsallfine

I don’t see Sherlock there, by inevitably-johnlocked

It’s not Sherlock - maybe Molly, by inevitably-johnlocked, miadifferent

Mark’s twitter conversation regarding this, by cupidford

*

More categories to be added. I might also restructure the entire page to make it easier to navigate at some point, once I’ve got an idea as to how =)

[coffee-and-vroomvroom]

theconsultingtranslator replied to your post: This will probably seem silly, but I’m happy...

Ooh a pothos! I love them, they’re strong! :-)

They are! I don’t know why this one was dying, but I’m glad it didn’t and now it’s growing back :D

[todayintokyo]

This one’s for @theconsultingtranslator. :)

カタツムリの赤ちゃん、本当に愛らしい。紫陽花はカタツムリと一緒の絵はよく見るのに、実物を見つけるのは、とてつもなく難しいです。

[mollydobby]

“Akako”: Wildcard Edition ~ revisiting the tattoo from TST after TLD

Let’s revisit the “Akako” tattoo that a client tried to remove, but was only blurred from The Six Thatchers (S4E01), now that we’re two episodes into Season 4, where the 221b stairwell light keeps changing (x). 

This is for @isitandwonder, who posits that the tattoo may denote “lost woman” (read here - a similar thought that @rowanthestrange had.) 

Because Japanese (and Chinese) is a pictograph-based language (characters instead of letters) - any minor alteration can change what the word actually is. 

The trouble is - the tattoo does not make sense in Japanese, nor does it make sense in Chinese. The only thing we know is that what we are shown is not “Akako” - we are one character too few for that.

It is in language limbo, neither here nor there, which is why @theconsultingtranslator and I tried to come up with what the intended tattoo was, something that fit with the episode (see original post here)

Throw in 1) a blurred tattoo 2) a potentially impaired / hallucinating Sherlock 3) a season with visual details that don’t match up 4) an out-of-focus camera angle 5) potential English intent-to-Japanese translation issues 6) potentially badly drawn tattoo ... this means that there are a multiple candidates for what that first character could be. 

Like all mysteries with multiple suspects, context changes everything. 

The second and third words denote “woman” ... that much is clear. 

Here are all the possible characters for the first word, and their translation, in case if The Final Problem (S4E03) changes the context also:  

In the context of The Six Thatchers (S4E01), Iron Lady made the most sense. 

In the context of The Lying Detective (S4E02) and the re-emergence of Eurus, the Holmes sister, Lost Woman is also now possible. 

And as @agra-vated​ points out, there is also Akako from Conan the Detective. (x)  紅子 -  紅 (red) being a synonym for 赤. 

Now, since we’re on the subject of wildcards, and all bets are off, allow me to share an alternative for the “Akako” tattoo to have been presented. 

Imagine a “traditional” sweetheart tattoo design with “Akako” written in Japanese. If we’re going for ACD canon (Red-headed League), just add the fish with scales “stained a delicate pink is quite peculiar to China.“  

Taken together, tattoo and name would be 赤子之心 (Akako, of heart). 

There is an actual Chinese saying by Confucius:  

 大人者，不 失 其 赤子之心 者也。

"The great man is he who does not lose his child's-heart." (x) 

A child’s heart being one that is pure and open, which fits right in with Sherlock’s progression in Season 4, as Lestrade once hoped in ASiP, his dialogue repurposed from The Six Napoleons (x): 

... because Sherlock Holmes is a great man, and I think one day, if we're very, very lucky, he might even be a good one.

We shall see if that is also the heart of the Final Problem. 

@waitingforgarridebs @just-sort-of-happened 

[todayintokyo]

Zero colour. Zero fat. Zero caffeine. What is the point? PS: I think we should alarm / horrify @theconsultingtranslator with this one. Don’t you miss us?! :D

Asahi’s Clear Latte is a espresso+milk flavored drink that is… transparent. Smells like coffee, tastes like a vending machine coffee drink… but definitely transparent.

…Japanese drinks can be really weird sometimes.

[todayintokyo]

This one’s for @theconsultingtranslator. :)

[always2ofus]

@theconsultingtranslator, remember this park? :) I went there again to say hello to the snail. Thanks for the recommendation so many years ago: it's really one of the best hydrangea spots in western Tokyo.

Hydrangeas in Tamagawadai Park, Denenchofu, Tokyo